9-17-23 Edmonds Presbyterian Streaming

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Sunday, September 17, 2023, the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) • Psalm 114:1-8 • Second Reading Romans 14:1-12 • Gospel Matthew 18:21-35 Title: Think Bigger Teaser: The lectionary has had us in Romans for several weeks. The church has always seen it as Paul's magnum opus of theology. It underpins most of the theology of the Reformation, especially in the first few chapters. But in reality, Paul's purpose was not to make a new Torah of prescriptive law, but instead bind different people together in community. This is often the challenge of scripture, we lay our own needs for certainty on the text without seeing what the text is about. While many glimpses are under covers earlier in the book, chapter 14 lays Paul's purpose bare for all to see. Too often Christians think small and tribal, which is the cause of our divisions today. Instead, the scriptures are asking us to think bigger.